Saint Richard of Chichester
- Original name:
- Richard Wyche, De Wych, or De Wicio
- Born:
- c. 1198, Droitwich, Worcestershire, Eng.
- Also Known As:
- Richard Wyche
- Richard de Wych
- Richard de Wicio
Saint Richard of Chichester (born c. 1198, Droitwich, Worcestershire, Eng.—died April 3, 1253, Dover, Kent; canonized Jan. 28, 1262; feast day April 3) was a bishop of Chichester, who championed the ideals of St. Edmund of Abingdon.
After becoming an M.A. of Oxford, Richard studied canon law at Paris and perhaps at Bologna and later became chancellor of Oxford. From 1236 to 1240 he was chancellor to Edmund of Abingdon, archbishop of Canterbury. After Edmund’s death, Richard studied theology at the Dominican school at Orléans, where he was ordained priest.
His election as bishop of Chichester (1244) gained him the enmity of the crown, because the earlier election of Robert Passelewe, Henry III’s candidate, had been quashed. After Richard’s consecration by Pope Innocent IV at Lyon (March 5, 1245), Henry, who had forcibly prevented Richard from entering Chichester, allowed him to take possession of his see and to receive income from diocesan real estate.
